Outdoor Adventures: Making first strides in trail running

They adeptly thread their way along roots and rocks. The uneven terrain is a challenge, often filled with brook and stream crossings, log bridges and even stone steps.

Moving swiftly, they venture into mountainous areas usually the domain of those with bulky backpacks.

In essence, they run where most hike.

They are trail runners.

Easier on the knees than pounding pavement, runners can inhale clean mountain air away from the fast-paced cities.

So, how does one begin?

Well, one foot in front of the other.

“Just look for your local park and try to find something relatively flat and not too technical,” said North Conway’s Kevin Tilton, 31, a two-time member of the U.S. Mountain Running Team. “Just get out there and explore. See what you enjoy. Some people like trails that are rocky and rooty. Some people like stuff that goes up and down hills. Some people like the flats.”

Tilton also has good words for running clubs as a way for a novice to ease into mountain runs.

“A club helps big time,” he said. “Especially if you can meet up with different people who know the trails. They will be able to show you all the cool places. They’ve spent years running trails that dead end and don’t go anywhere. They’ll tell you the places that are good and which ones aren’t.”

Larisa Dannis, 25, of Stratford is a trail runner and endurance racer with an incredible hiking background, having in April completed the Grid of climbing the 48 4,000-footers in each month of the year for a total of 576 treks. She also holds the women’s record for completing the 31-mile Pemigewasset Loop in 7:34:25 and the 49-mile White Mountain Hut Traverse in 17:03:13, both in 2012. Dannis was the fastest N.H. woman in last weekend’s Mt. Washington Road Race, too.

She lauds N.H. state parks like Bear Brook and Pawtuckaway for their trails.

“Look up some trail maps and start on some easy terrain to get yourself adjusted,” she said. “Trail running is very different from road running. You have to pay a lot more attention to your footwork and things like that. You want to start out slow to give your body time to adjust.”

A key to trail running is being able to look ahead, say 10 to 15 feet, and pick out a line to run. Work up to it.

“You really just have to ease into it,” she said. “At first you are going to feel a little bit off base. You are going to want to look at your feet a little more.”

Dannis suggests new trail runners be sure to carry essentials that ensure a safe experience, like carrying a map, water and food, and telling someone where you are going.

“I think if you have the drive, go and do it, but do you research; be prepared and be responsible,” she said.

Randolph’s Meghan Skidmore, who works and lives near Mount Washington, incorporates trail running in training for September’s World Sprint Triathlon Championships in London.

“Trail running is much easier on the joints,” she said. “I try to mix up my training with some trial running. For me it is more enjoyable than running on pavement. I like the scenery, being in the woods, kind of off the grid there, and checking things out in the woods.”

As part of her running regimen, Skidmore also enters into local trail running series.

“You can compare your time from week to week,” she said. “It is sort of competitive, but not too overwhelming.”

When it comes to making those first strides, it’s okay to start with the running shoe you already have, even if it’s for the road.

“Easier trails can definitely be run in a road shoe,” Dannis said. “As you get on to more technical terrain, most people will feel more comfortable transitioning into a trail shoe.”

Then, when it’s time for that first race, take it easy.

“Start out with something shorter, that way you can get the feel of what it’s like to be in a race,” Tilton said. “Maybe start with a race that is on terrain you are familiar with. Then you can build more distance and tougher terrain with hills.”